Digital Accessibility for Marketing Leaders

The customer experience is everything when it comes to connecting and building relationships with your market.

What is digital accessibility? How does it affect your brand? What mistakes are marketers making? How can marketers work to ensure digital experiences that are engaging and accessible for everyone? For many in marketing, e-commerce, and other related digital or CX roles, it can be hard to find answers.

Fortunately, Level Access knows how to support you and help you take action in a way that strengthens overall efforts without disrupting operations.

Connect with an Accessibility Expert

What Should Marketers Know?

According to a recent study, 86% of online visitors with disabilities would spend more money if there were fewer accessibility barriers on the sites they visit.

The Web Doesn’t Work for Everyone

Technology should work for—and be accessible to—everyone. Unfortunately, most websites are not. This can prevent them from banking, shopping, reading the news, communicating with friends and family, and other activities essential to modern life.

Visit this page to learn more about web accessibility, why it’s important, and how people with disabilities use technology.

Accessibility and Marketing Go Together

Marketers know that as content creators, communicators, and stewards of the brand, it is critical they deliver strong and engaging experiences throughout the customer journey. Accessibility aligns perfectly with that mission and the inclusive design practices that we teach ensure user experiences are functional and usable for everyone.

The Hidden Impact of Barriers

One recent study found that across the top million websites on the internet, over 98% of home pages had easily detectable accessibility issues. Organizations are likely limiting their market or userbase without even realizing it. It’s not just those individuals with disabilities that organizations risk losing out on⁠—but their families, friends, and communities as well.

• Click Away Pound’s 2019 Report (a survey of consumers with disabilities) revealed that 69% of customers with access needs will abandon a website they find difficult to use.
• Of those potential customers, 75% will spend their money elsewhere—even at a higher price. For them, it is worth paying more for accessible user experiences.
• More than 90% of those customers who leave your site to shop elsewhere will not reach out to customer service. Organizations aren’t aware they are losing income because only 10% will take the time to call or email for assistance.
• Many would rather pay more in order to complete the transaction independently.

Grow Your Business and Strengthen Your Marketing Efforts

Deliver Exceptional Experiences

Accessibility features can improve the experience for anyone, not just people with disabilities. Accessibility and good user experience go hand-in-hand, so optimizing for inclusivity will implement improvements that benefit everyone.

Become the CX Leader of Your Space

According to Harvard Business Review, “The primary touchpoint between you and your clientele is often digital… design has become a key differentiator in the battle for customers’ hearts and minds.” Accessibility improves the digital experience and this can create differentiation that’s hard for others to replicate.

Protect and Grow Market Share

Increasingly, B2B buyers are inquiring about the accessibility of the software they are purchasing for their businesses (read more about the VPAT) in order to mitigate legal risk. If your team isn’t prepared, this could mean stalled sales deals or lost opportunities.

Inspire Brand Loyalty

Consumers today want brands to live up their values and many are careful about the ones they support. Inclusion is central to brand principles across the global landscape because it makes organizations stronger, and accessibility is a key part of inclusion.

Becoming an Accessible Brand

Ensure an Accessible Digital Footprint

Digital accessibility isn’t just about your main website or flagship software application, it’s important to ensure every touchpoint and digital aspect of the brand is as inclusive as possible so you can reach everyone effectively.

Find Cross-functional Allies for Better Results

Ultimately, digital accessibility isn’t the duty of just marketing or any single business division or function. Download our eBook to make a business case for accessibility and demonstrate internally the various ways it can strengthen your organization.